This invention relates generally to removal of surface oxide from an elongate copper workpiece preparatory to hot rolling and relates specifically to spray descaling of continuously cast copper bar prior to inline hot rolling.
The manufacture of copper rod in a continuous casting system is an integrated process in which a continuous bar of indefinite length is continuously solidified in a continuous casting machine and directed from the exit point of the casting machine to an inline continuous rolling mill wherein the nascent bar is hot formed into rod while still in a plastic state. The surface of the nascent bar immediately oxidizes as soon as the hot bar surface is exposed to the atmosphere upon emerging from the casting channel. This surface oxidation preferably should be removed before the bar enters the rolling mill, otherwise p6(E) and 6(F) are waveform diagrams of signals output by the orientation circuit 12 of FIG. 6(A).